Women in Mortgage Spotlight
Jodie Leeser
Branch Manager, US Mortgage Corporation
“I would tell myself to make sure I picked flowers along my way.”
After 39 years in the mortgage industry, Jodie’s leadership reflects the wisdom of experience, the importance of teaching others, and the relationships built through honesty, integrity, and commitment.
What’s a lesson you had to learn the hard way, and how has it shaped your leadership?
A lesson I had to learn the hard way was delegation. It was painful for me to let a task go to someone else when I could do it faster and accurately. Maturity and motherhood helped cure me of my hard control issues, but I will admit to needing to frequently remind myself to let it go and let someone else gain experience and learn.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I think youth makes most of us in a hurry to get to the next big thing. I would tell myself to make sure I picked flowers along my way. I have no regrets, really, but I would advise myself to approach my journey at a purposeful pace instead of a sprint that needed to be won. Now, 39 years later in my career, I have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. I wouldn’t advocate dampening my competitive spirit, but I would underscore the value of delegation and teaching, and not doing it all myself. It would be good advice to my younger self, but I am pretty sure I would have just muscled me out of the way.
What legacy do you hope to leave through your work?
A string of friendships with my business partners and clients. I feel there is a strong bond developed when the person you chose to lead you through a transaction offers honesty, integrity, education, and commitment to results. This is what I hope will continue to feed my legacy.
What advice would you give a woman in this industry who is going through a difficult season but wants to keep growing?
Having experienced many industry boom & busts, mergers & acquisitions, which all were tough times in their unique way I feel I can offer firsthand advice. During difficult times, lean into a woman’s natural nurturing instinct. Navigate toward what you can control and thus gives you control. Reframe the difficulty or problem in your mind. This is vital. Don’t listen to toxic/discouraging self-talk. To offer perspective, the current market landscape is a perfect example. Shift focus away from raising interest rates and the havoc ensued, to concentrating on current market education. Find a product niche, deepen knowledge and become an expert. This will help build trust and loyalty through targeted problem solving. It’s natural when drowning to cling to a buoy. Be the buoy. Whatever issue is occurring, mortgage customers (borrowers and realtors alike) will be feeling it too. Find a way to offer a solution.
What chapter of your story are you in now, and what are you learning from it?
My current chapter is one of transition. Adapting to the present market rhythm has caused me to naturally ease my pace and refocus on some important people/family in my life. At this point, I am not sure what the end plan will look like, however, leaving the industry entirely is not my intention. Frankly, as I approach this chapter, I have learned that continuing to guide and serve my customers is still very important to me, but that I can build a trusted support team to help me accomplish that desire. So, in the end I guess I have circled back to that word delegation. The word I should have whispered sooner to my younger self and now again to my experienced self!